‘American Sniper’ is Clint Eastwood at his best

January 18, 2015 7:04 AM

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A mere six months after releasing the Four Seasons drama “Jersey Boys,” Clint Eastwood has again lapped his younger directing colleagues with his second film of 2014 and his best movie in years. “American Sniper” is quintessentially Eastwood: a tautly made, confidently constructed examination of the themes that have long dominated his work.

“American Sniper,” based on Navy SEAL marksman Chris Kyle’s best-selling memoir, is both a tribute to the warrior and a lament for war. Shirking politics, the film instead sets its sights squarely on its elite protagonist (Bradley Cooper), a traditional American war hero in an untraditional war.